Patent US3681843A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3681843A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Heat pipe wick fabrication
Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp
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Filing: 1970-03-06
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Granted: 1972-08-08
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Expires: 1990-03-06
Abstract
Abstract An economical heat pipe wick fabrication technique that yields wicks with fine pores at the liquid/vapor interface and unrestricted fluid flow beneath this interface. The resulting wick may be employed with either high or low thermal conductivity fluids.
Inventors
- 👤 Frank G Arcella
- 👤 Russell E Brumm
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 19:10
CPC Classifications
F; F28; F28D; F28D15/00; F28D15/02; F28D15/04; F28D15/046; B; B21; B21C; B21C37/00; B21C37/06; B21C37/15; B21C37/151; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/4935; Y10T29/49353; Y10T29/4981
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
A process for fabricating a heat pipe wick having channels just beneath the fine pore surfaces, which comprises winding several turns of fine mesh screen over a mandrel, placing a plurality of fine wires axially along said mandrel over said fine mesh screen and inserting the resulting assembly into an outer tube which closely receives said assembly in the center thereof, constricting the final assembly so that the mesh screen conforms to the shape of the axially laid wires and outer tube at the wire/mesh and tube/mesh interface respectively and then dissolving away said mandrel and said wires.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
98 words
A process for fabricating a heat pipe wick having channels just beneath the fine pore surfaces, which comprises winding several turns of fine mesh screen over a mandrel, placing a plurality of fine wires axially along said mandrel over said fine mesh screen and inserting the resulting assembly into an outer tube which closely receives said assembly in the center thereof, constricting the final assembly so that the mesh screen conforms to the shape of the axially laid wires and outer tube at the wire/mesh and tube/mesh interface respectively and then dissolving away said mandrel and said wires.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 1 wherein said mandrel and said wires are formed from copper and said fine mesh material and said outer tube are chosen to be insoluble in nitric acid.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 2 wherein said dissolving step comprises etching away said copper wires and said copper mandrel in nitric acid.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 1 wherein said mandrel and said wires are formed from aluminum and said fine mesh material and said outer tube are chosen to be insoluble in sodium hydroxide.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 4 wherein said dissolving step comPrises etching away said aluminum wires and said aluminum mandrel in sodium hydroxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 1 wherein said fine mesh screen is constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of 304 stainless steel and pressed and sintered felt metal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 1 wherein said constricting step comprises swaging said final assembly.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 1 wherein said constricting step comprises expanding said mandrel against said rigid outer tube.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
68 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 1 including winding several turns of fine mesh screen over said axially laid wires, constricting said final assembly so that the mesh screen closely conforms to the axially laid wire surface at the wire/mesh interface and forms a continuous mesh cross-section at the mesh/mesh interface and dissolving away said outer tube concurrently with said wires and said mandrel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 9 wherein said mandrel, said wires and said outer tube are formed from copper and said fine mesh material is chosen to be insoluble in nitric acid.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 10 wherein said dissolving step comprises etching away said copper wires, said copper mandrel and said copper outer tube in nitric acid.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 9 where said mandrel, said wires and said outer tube are formed from aluminum and said fine mesh material is chosen to be insoluble in sodium hydroxide.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 12 wherein said dissolving step comprises etching away said aluminum wires, said aluminum mandrel and said aluminum outer tube in sodium hydroxide.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process for fabricating a heat pipe wick of claim 9 wherein said fine mesh screen is constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of 304 stainless steel and pressed and sintered felt metal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-08 | 1976-02-07 | 1976-08-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-08 | 1980-02-07 | 1980-08-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-08 | 1984-02-07 | 1984-08-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |